Refrigerating apparatus.



G. H. HAPGOOD. REFBIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.1,1913.

1,131,130. I Patented Mar.9,1915.

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Witffiessasi W0? WWW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CYRUS H. HAPGOOD, Oli' BOSTON, M'ASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MONTCLAIRREFRIGERATING CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

REFRIGERATIN G APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Application filed March 1, 1913. Serial No. 751,394.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CYRUs H. HAPGOOD, acitizen of the United States, residing in Boston, county of Suffolk, andState of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in RefrigeratingApparatus, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to a refrigerating apparatus of that character inwhich a pump is automatically started in operation to effect circulationof refrigerant when the temperature of the refrigerating chamber hasrisen to a predetermined point and to be stopped in its operation whenthe temperature has fallen to a predetermined point. One form of suchapparatus is shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 1,046,588 grantedto me December 10, 1912, which is especially designed and adapted foruse in households and like places wherever apparatus of smallrefrigerating capacity suffices.

The present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus of thecharacter described which may be made in small sizes and used inhouseholds or like places, but which is also especially adapted to beembodied to advantage in apparatus of large refrigerating capacity,which apparatus is compact, eflicient, of minimum cost and capable ofusing a refrigerant which is subjected to a relatively high pressure.

In the refrigerating system shown in the patent referred to, a rotarypump is employed to circulate a large volume of refrigerant under arelatively low pressure, and when said pump is stopped flooding of theexpansion chamber is prevented by equalization of the pressure in thesystem back through the pump. The system described in this patent inwhich a rotary pump is used is highly satisfactory for units ofsubstantially small refrigerating capacity, but is not economical ordesirable for units or plants of large refrigerating capacity owing tothe abnormally large and heavy rotary pump and the increased power whichwould be required to obtain the desired refrigeration.

The present invention has for its object to provide a system of thecharacter described, namely one which is automatic and does not requirepersonal attention, in which a large refrigerating capacity may beeconomically obtained with a compact appara- -tus capable of circulatingthe refrigerant under a relatively high pressure. To this end provisionis made whereby the high pressure of the refrigerant may be obtained,and flooding of the expansion chamber permitted without danger ofrendering the system inoperative or without danger of injurmg the systemor the users of the same. For th1spurpose,Iemploy a reciprocating pumpwhich is self clearing as will be described and has a substantiallyfluid tight crank case, and locate the said pump in a casing containinga body of fluid lubricant so that the latter surrounds the crank caseand arrange for the discharge of liquid from the expansion chamber intosaid crank case, and also arrange for the return to the casing of thelubricant which is discharged by the pump. Provision is also made forpreventmg escape of refrigerant to the atmosphere. Provision is furthermade for quickly and easily assembling the apparatus and for simplifyingthe same. These and other features of this invention will be pointed outin the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, with parts in elevation of a suflicientportion of a refrigerating system embodying this invention to enable itto be understood. Fig. 2, a plan of Fig. 1 with parts broken away. Fig.3, a vertical section of the pump shown in Fig. 1. F ig. 4, a sideelevation of the pump shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5, a detail to illustratethe connection of the expansion chamber with the crank case of the pump,and Fig. 6, a diagrammatic view to illustrate the system.

The refrigerating system herein shown as embodying this invention,comprises essentially an expansion chamber, shown as a coil (1, a fluidtight casing b, a self clearing reciprocating pump 0 located in saidcasing, and a condenser d.

The fluid tight casing b is preferably composed of a lower part ormember and a chambered upper part or member, which are detachablysecured together. The lower member may be made as a casting 10 open atits upper end and provided with an outwardly extended flange 12, and thechambered upper member may be made of two substantially dome shapedheads 13, 14 preferably of sheet met h res p a tom piece or ring havingan annular flange or rib 16, which extends between the heads 13, 14 andis secured thereto by rivets 17 or otherwise. The ring 15 is secured tothe flange 12 by screws 18 or otherwise, and may and preferably will beprovided on its under surface with an annular rib 19, which enters acorresponding groove in the upper surface of the lower member 10. Theheads 13, 14 are separated to form a chamber 20 for a purpose as will bedescribed. The lower member of the casing contains the reciprocatingpump 0, preferably of the con; struction herein shown, said pumpcomprising a cylinder 22 in open communication with acrank case 23,having extended from one of its side walls a hub 24, which is longenough to project through an opening in the side wall 25 of the casing,and is provided within the casing with an annular flange 26,

. which is secured to the casing by the screws .27 or otherwise. Theflange 26 may be provided with an annular rib 28 which extends into anannular groove on the inner surface of the side wall 25. Thereciprocating a pis thus supported within the casing b. ydinder 22 ofthe pump contains a hollow reciprocating piston 30, see Fig. 3, which isjoined by a connecting rod 31 with a crank 32 on a crank shaft 33,having bearings in the hub 24 and extended through the same to theoutside of the casing, where it is provided With suitable means forrotating it, said means being shown as a pulley 35. The shaft 33 is alsoextended through a suitable stufling box 36 secured to the outer end ofthe hub 24. The crank case 23 is provided with a removable cover 37, byremoving which access may be had to the crank case. The piston 30isprovided in its head 38 with a port 39 with which coiiperates a valve40, normally held to its seat by a spring 41 and adapted to be openedbypressure withinthe cylinder and crank case on the down stroke of thepiston." w

The cylinder 22 is provided as shown with a removable head 42, having aport 43, with which cooperates a valve 44,- normally held to its seat bya spring 45 and adapted to be opened outwardly by pressure in thechamber 46 above the piston, which chamber may be designated thecompression chamber for the cylinder. The valve 44 is guided in itsmovement by a stem 48 extended through a hollow or bell shaped cap49,,whichis re movably secured to the cylinder head 42 and is providedwith .oneor more ports or openings 50 which connnunicatewith the casingb- .The valve 44 is openedon the upstroke of the piston as will bedescribed.

,The casm 5 contains in its upper part the condenser herein shown as acoil of pipe, one end 51 of the coil. being extended through a bushingorthimble 5 2 to theout side; of.- the casing, and the other end 58 ofunderstoo the coil being extended through the inner head 14 andcommunicating with the charm ber 20 between said heads. The outer head18 has secured to it a pipe 54 which communicates with the chamber 20and forms the outlet pipe therefor. The pipe 51 is designed to beconnected with a suitable source of supply of Water, or other coolingmedium, and the water flows through the coil 05 into the chamber 20 andthen through the outlet pipe 54 to the sewer or to any other placedesired. The lower part of the casing is designed to contain a body offluid lubricant 56 such as oil, and a body of liquid refrigerant 57,which latter is designed to pass from said casing through a pipe 58,which practically forms the inlet pipe for the expansion chamber, thelatter being herein shown as the coil a of pipes, having its higher endconnected with a fitting se-' cured to the casing 12 and with which theinlet pipe 58 communicates. The fitting 60 is provided with a supplypipe 61 having a valve 62, which is normally closed and is opened whenit is desired to supply the easing with oil and liquid refrigerant. Thefitting 60 is provided with a needle valve 160 or with a fixed orificein lieu thereof.

The lower end of the expansion coil a is connected with the chamber 63formed by the crank case 23 of the pump within the casing b, which maybe effected as herein shown, see Figs. 1 and 5, wherein the pipe 64,which forms part of the coil a, is connected by a bend 65 and nipple 66with a passage 67 in the hub 24, said passage communicating with thechamber 63.

From the above description it will be seen, that the liquid refrigerantpasses from the casing 6 through the pipe 58 and fitting 60 into thecoil a, wherein it'expands and reduces the temperature of the chamber inwhich the coil is located. The gaseous refrigerant produced in theexpansion coil passes back into the chamber 63 and on the down stroke ofthe piston passes through the port 39 into the compression chamber 46,

rom which it is expelled on the up stroke of the piston and passesthroughv the port 43 1 and ports '50 into the casing wherein it iscondensed by the condenser d. When the temperature in the'refrigeratingchamber (not shown) has been reduced to a predetermined point, it'isdesirable to stop the pump, Which ma be effected in a, manner wellnamely by thermostatic control (not shown) but which may besubstantially such as shown in.U.. S. Patent No. 1046588 pressure in thesystem is. equalized through the expansion orifice, with: the result,that grantedtome Dec."10,"1912, and to again age- 0f refrigerant alongthe the-coil becomes flooded with liquid, which in the present case,does no harm, as this liquid flows back from the expansion coil into thechamber 63, which may be of sulficient cubic capacity to take care ofall of the liquid with which the expansion chamber IS flooded. If thepump is again started under these conditions, it will worksatisfactorily, for thereason that the cylinder of the pump is notfilled with liquid and there is nothing in the pump cylinder to preventreciprocation of the piston therein, and as the crank shaft is rotated,the crank splashes through the liquid in the chamber 63, and throws thesame in comminuted form, that is, more or less as a spray, up into thecylinder, and this spray passes through the port 39 into the compressionchamber 46 and through the port 43 and ports 50 into the casing b, untilthe crank case is emptied or substantially emptied and the refrigeratingcycle is again established. Asuflic ient quantity of fluid lubricantsuch as glycerin or other oil is used to bring the level of the same upto the line and sullicient liquid refrigerant, is used to bring thelevel of the latterabove the mouth of the pipe 58 when arefrigerantlighter than the oil is used. Any of the well'knownrefrigerants may be used, such for instance'as an hydrous ammonia,methyl chlorid, methylether, sulfur dioxid or the like. It will beobserved that the chamber 63 forms part'of the circuit through which therefrigerant is circulated, and that the reciprocating-pump is surroundedby the fluid lubricant, which serves to cool the pum and that this cooling liquid is at the disc ar'ge pressure of the pump, which is greaterthan the mean internal ressure of the pump, consequently any leak in thecasing of the pump, tends to feed the lubricant into the pump andthereby prevents escape of refrigerant from the pump, and provision isalso made for preventing escape of the refrigerant along the main shaftto the atmosphere, which is preferably effected by providing the hub 24with an annular chamber or recess 72 around the bore of the hub, ';whichcommunicates through a hole? 3 in the hub with the casing b, so that theoil in the casin can pass into the annular channel '72 an surround theshaft 33 with oil, which'is under the pressure of the casing andtherefore under a greater.

pressure than the refrigerant in the crank case, thereby-sealing thepumga'gainst leak aft 33.' By making the lower member of the easing 0 nat its: top and the upper; member remova le therefrom, the pum can bereadily placed into and removed m the lower member-of the casing. Soalso by making the upper member of the casing of two dome shaped headswhich are spaced apart, the

cost'of the casingiuay, be materially reduced,

as the said heads may be made of sheet pump nietal, and at the same timethe chamber 20 may be utilized as a part of the condenser, so'that amaximum condensing surface may be obtained in an apparatus of minimumsize at a minimum expense.

It will be observed that owing to the fact that the crank shaft makes acomplete revolution, the lubricant in the crank case is thrown up b thecrank into the lower end of the cylin er and passes in the form of aspray through the ort 39 in the piston on the down stroke ot the latter,and then is forced through the ports 43, 50 into the casing, and that nomatter how high the liquid is in the crank case the pump in a short timewill clear itself and lower the liquid to substantially the levelindicated in Fig. 1 and will then operate in a normal manner.

Owing to the fact that the pump is self clearing, it can be startedunder full speed without danger of injuring the system, the pump itselfor the users of thesystem.

The apparatus herein described is capable of employing a refrigerantunder a relatively high pressure and is'therefore commercially availablefor both large and small unit's.

Claims: I

1 In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing for containinga fluid lubricant and a liquid refrigerant, a self clearingreciprocating pump located in saidcasing and comprising a cylinderdischarging into saidcasmg a valved ingin; said cylinder, asubstantially fluid tight crank case, a rotatable crank shaft haw pistonreciprocat ing a crank revollible in said crank case and ac 1 ng uponliquid therein to splash the same up: into the said cylinder, said crankshaft the outsideof said casing v being extended to and sealed by thelubricant surrounding the crank case against the esca e of.- refrigerantout of the casing along said crank shaft, an expansion chamber locatedoutside of said casing and having itsfluid inlet communieating with saidcasing and its fluid outlet discharging into said crank case, for thepurpose specified; j

'2. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing forcontaining a body of fluid lubricant, a self clearin reciprocating Ahaving a substantia y fluid tight cran case located in said casing andsurrounded by said lubricant, an expansion chamber located outside ofsaid casing and having-a'fluid outlet dischargi into said crank case andmeans for returning to said casing the lubricant discharged by saidfluid tight crank case and located iii-said casing tohaizethecrank'carse rounded by fiuid'lubrlcant therein, and communicating with said casing to return to the latter fluid lubricantwhich may accumulate in the crank case, an expansion chamber locatedoutside of said casing and having its fluid inlet communicating withsaid casing and its fluid outlet discharging into the crank case of saidreciprocating pump.

'4. In a refrigerating apparatus of the character described, incombination, a casing for containing a body of fluid lubricant, a selfclearing reciprocating pump located in said casing and having asubstantially fluid tight crank case surrounded by said fluid lubricant,and an expansion chamber located outside of said casing and having itsfluid outlet discharging into said crank case.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing for containinga fluid lubricant, a reciprocating pump located in said casing andprovided with a cylinder communicating with said casing and having asubstantially fluid-tight crank case communicating with said cylinder, avalved piston reciprocating in said cylinder, a crank shaft extendedfrom within said crank case to the outside of said casing and providedwith a crank revoluble in said crank case, and an expansion chamberhaving its outlet extended into said casing and discharging into saidcrank case.

6. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing having a lowermember open at its top and an upper member removably secured to the topof said lower member and comprising substantially dome shaped headsseparated to form a chamber between them, a condenser located in saidupper member and communicating with the outside of said upper member andwith the chamber between the heads thereof, substantially as described.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing comprising alower member open at its top, and an upper member removably secured tothe top of said lower member, and a pump located in said lower memberand havin a crank shaft and a hub for said crank sha t extended througha side of the lower member to the outside thereof, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing comprising alower member open at its top, and an upper member removably secured tothe top of said lower member, and a pump located in said lower memberand having a shaft and a hub for said shaft extended through the lowermem her to the outside thereof, said hub within said casing having anannular channel in the walls of its bore and an opening connecting saidchannel with said casing, for the purpose specified.

9. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing comprising alower member open at-its top, and an upper member removably secured tothe top of said lower member, and a pump located in said lower memberand having a shaft and a hub for said shaft extended through the lowermember to the outside thereof, said hub having a passage communicatingat its inner end with the said pump and having its outer end outside ofsaid casing, for the purpose specified.

10. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing having alower member open at its top and a chambered upper mem ber removablysecured to the top of said casing, a condenser carried by saidremova'ble upper member and in communication with the chamber of saidupper member and with the outside thereof, substantially as described.

11. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing comprising alower memher open at its top, and an upper-member v removably secured tothe top of said lower member, and'a pump located in said lower memberand having a shaft and a hub for said shaft extended through the lowermember to the outside thereof, said hub having a flange, and means tosecure said flange to said casing, substantially as described.

12. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing comprising alower member open at its top, and an upper member removably secured tothe top of said lower member, a pump located in said lower member, and acondenser located in said upper member and supported thereby andremovable therewith.

13. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing, areciprocatin ump located in said casing and provi e wlth a crank casehaving attached to it a hub for the crank shaft of said pump, said hubbe ing provided with a passage communicating with said crank case andwith the outside of said casing, and means to secure said hub to a wallof said casing, substantially as described.

14. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing, a selfclearing reciprocating pump located in said casing and having a crankcase within said casing in communication with the outside of said casingand a cylinder communicating with said casing to return to the latterfluid lubricant which may accumulate in said crank case.

15. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing forcontaining a body of lubricant, a self-clearing reciprocating pumphaving a substantially fluid-tight crank case located in said casing andsurrounded by said lubricant, said pump having its discharge outlet incommunication with said casing to subject the lubricant in the latter tothe discharge pressure of the pump, an expansion chamber located outsideof said casing andhaving a fluid outlet discharging into said crankcase, and means for returning to said casing the lubricant discharged bysaid pump.

16. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing forcontaining a body of lubricant, a self-clearing reciprocating pumphaving a substantially fluid-tight crank case located in said casing andsurrounded by said lubricant, said pump having its discharge outlet incommunication with said casing to subject the lubricant in the latter tothe discharge pressure of the pump, and an expansion chamber locatedoutside of said casing and having a fluid outlet discharging into saidcrank case.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CYRUS H. HAPGOOD.

Witnesses:

GUY MULLER, RoBT. N. BARIER.

